An install process of a compute program can be classified into two groups. One of the groups is a method of installing a computer program into each computer, and the other one of the groups is a method of installing a computer program by utilizing a network.
1. Method of Installing a Computer Program into Each Computer.
When installing a computer program into each computer, an install process of a computer program into each computer is implemented by connecting a storage media such as a CD-ROM into which a program to be installed is stored to a computer for which an install of that program is desired, and by executing a program for use in an install on that computer. The program for use in the install refers to a designated parameter file, and implements an install process indicated by a content of the parameter file to which it is referred.
2. Method of Installing a Computer Program by Utilizing a Network.
When a number of the computers is connected through a network such as the Local Area Network (LAN), it would require a considerable amount of work for implementing an install of a program into each computer. Hence, a system manager implements an install of a program into a computer of an end user through the network, by using a server program specifically designed for managing the install.
However, in the above mentioned conventional method of implementing the install of the computer program into each computer, necessary information for the install, such as a file name, a directory, and the likes to be copied, is described in a parameter file. Because a fixed value or a reserved variable is given to a parameter, it is required to prepare a parameter file corresponding to a number of computers, or a user who actually installs the program needs to input that fixed value or a value of that reserved variable. Moreover, these install implementation modules must be produced for each program which is to be installed, therefore these produced install implementation modules can be used only for installing certain programs.
In a large scale system having thousands to tens of thousands of computers, it is impossible to maintain a computer environment for software and/or hardware as a constant, and as a result the effort to combine different environments is greatly increased. Hence, when implementing an install of a program for these computers, it is required to prepare the parameters suitable for a configuration of each of the computers. Accordingly, a software manufacturer that produces a parameter file of these parameters, and/or a system manager that manages the large scale system as described above, needs to spend a great amount of work such as accurately grasping a configuration or an environment of an individual computer, whereby the incidence of misoperations associated therewith will increase. Further, a communication or a transfer of the necessary information and a request of the work and the like would be difficult when the end user inputs a parameter, and as a result, it causes misoperations to occur. Then, when the problems such as described above occur, there exists problems such as it is possible that not only the work of installing can not be properly implemented, but also the involved programs and/or computers themselves which are operated until that point they can no longer can be utilized.
In the above mentioned conventional method of implementing the install of the computer program by using the network, since the server of managing the install manages a file associated with the install and a setting required for the management of the install, the system tends to be complex, and a management load on the server becomes heavier or larger for the system manager, and thus it is required to employ technologies, to use a server which includes a software and/or a hardware, and the like.
When the great number of computers is connected in the network such as the LAN, a combination of the computer that is subject to the install and a server for use in the install is fixed. Accordingly, in a case that the number of the servers for use in the install is relatively less than the number of the computers, the load would be concentrated, a great amount of time is required for the install, and there exists a problem that a malfunction would be occurred in the install operation as a result of a heavy load.
As the number of the servers for use in the install increases, since the frequency of implementing the install operations of the programs is very low compared to the normal operations, there exists a problem that the utilization of those servers is extremely low compared to the cost of the servers for use in the install.
Further, in an environment of which the standalone computers and the computers being connected in the network are mixed together, when implementing an install of a program into a computer, it is required to create an install file separately, depending upon whether the computer subject to the install is a stand-alone computer or a computer being connected in the network, and as a result, there exist the problems that the load of the install operation would be increased, and a probability of implementing the install operation would most probably be lowered.